Horus 

Ancient Egyptian deities were the foundation of religious and daily life in ancient Egypt where Egyptians believed that the universe, nature and human existence were controlled by multiple gods. Each god had a specific role and function and they were not just mythological symbols but living entities in the Egyptian consciousness.

Horus is one of the greatest gods of ancient Egypt associated with the concept of kingship and divine legitimacy of rule. Horus embodied the idea of a divine ruler who protects the country and preserves cosmic order. The pharaoh was seen as the earthly embodiment of Horus. Horus was associated with the sky, sun, protection and healing.

The Eye of Horus is a symbol of power, protection and restoring balance. Horus has multiple forms and manifestations throughout history. The myth of Horus represents the triumph of order over chaos. Horus avenged his father Osiris and restored the throne of Egypt. Egyptians expressed the continuity of life, death and rebirth through Horus.

Horus stands as one of the most significant gods in ancient Egyptian religion representing a wide range of functions including kingship, healing, protection as well as the sun and the sky. His cult endured for thousands of years extending from the late prehistoric era through the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Scholars of Egyptology identify several manifestations of Horus, each possessing unique traits that highlight different dimensions of the same divine figure. Rather than being contradictory, these forms coexist and complement one another reflecting the ancient Egyptian perception of reality as layered and complex.

The earliest known manifestation of Horus is linked to the city of Nekhen in Upper Egypt where he was venerated as a major national deity. From an early stage, Horus was closely connected to royal ideology as the reigning pharaoh was believed to embody Horus during his lifetime and to become Osiris after death.

The most widely recognized lineage presents Horus as the son of Isis and Osiris assigning him a central role in the Osirian myth cycle as the avenger of his father and the principal opponent of Set, Osiris’s brother and killer. In alternative traditions, Hathor is identified as Horus’s mother and in certain accounts, she is also described as his consort.

The Roman author Claudius Aelianus recorded that Egyptians referred to the Greek god Apollo as “Horus” in their own language. Plutarch later elaborated on this identification explaining that the deity equated with Apollo was specifically “Horus the Elder” an ancient and primordial form of Horus that was distinct from both the younger Horus and Harpocrates.

According to one version of the myth, Horus was conceived after Isis gathered the scattered body parts of her slain husband Osiris. All parts were recovered except his penis which had been thrown into the Nile and consumed according to different traditions by a catfish known as Medjed or by a crab.

Earlier Egyptian sources state that the organ survived. In Plutarch’s account, Isis used her magical abilities to revive Osiris temporarily and create a phallus allowing her to conceive Horus.

After becoming pregnant, Isis sought refuge in the marshes of the Nile Delta to protect her unborn child from her brother Seth who had murdered Osiris and posed a threat to Horus. It was there that she gave birth to the divine child.

Because themes of birth, death and rebirth recur throughout Egyptian religion and cosmology, Horus also appears in other forms. In some traditions, he is presented as the brother of Osiris and Isis, born to the sky goddess Nut and the earth god Geb. As a sky god, Horus was naturally associated with both the sun and the moon.

The ancient Egyptians believed that the sun represented his right eye and the moon his left, both moving across the heavens as he soared in the form of a falcon. The diminished brightness of the moon was explained through the myth known as The Conflicts of Horus and Seth which recounts a violent struggle between Seth,

associated with Upper Egypt and Horus, the patron of Lower Egypt. Although neither god initially achieved victory, the divine council eventually ruled in favor of Horus. After the conflict, Horus was honored with the title “The Great Horus” while Seth lost his testicles and Horus suffered the loss of his eye.

Horus was a complex god with many different roles and meanings. He was a god of the sky, the sun and the king but he was also a protector and a healer. Over time, Horus became linked with other gods and symbols such as the Eye of Ra and the falcon. This made him a very important and powerful god in ancient Egyptian mythology.

The stories about Horus and his conflicts with Seth were an important part of Egyptian mythology and they helped to explain the natural world and the balance of forces within it. The myth of Horus and Seth was also used to explain the role of the pharaoh and the importance of maintaining order and balance in society.

In Egyptian hieroglyphs, Horus’s name appears as ḥr.w meaning “Falcon” (𓅃). Linguistic reconstructions suggest that the name was pronounced ˈħaːɾuw in Old and early Middle Egyptian evolving into ˈħaːɾəʔ in later Middle Egyptian and ˈħoːɾ(ə) in Late Egyptian. Beyond its literal meaning, the name is thought to convey additional ideas such as “the distant one” or “the one who is above.” As the Egyptian language developed, the name of Horus appeared in Coptic forms such as hɔr or ħoːɾ (Ϩⲱⲣ) and it entered Ancient Greek as Ὧρος (Hō̂ros). The name also survives in Late Egyptian and Coptic theophoric names, including Siese, meaning “son of Isis” and Harsiese, translated as “Horus, son of Isis.”

Horus of the Two Horizons known as Hor Akhti represents the sun as it appears on the horizon in Egyptian mythology. This form of Horus embodies the solar cycle and emphasizes his role as a cosmic deity associated with the daily movement of the sun across the sky.

Horus is one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian mythology. He is often shown as a falcon or a man with a falcon head holding immense significance in Egyptian beliefs. As the national god of ancient Egypt, his roles were different and complex

One of the most prominent symbols associated with Horus is the Eye of Horus or the left wedjat eye. This symbol was not just decorative, It is considered the protection, healing and royal authority.

It appeared widely in Egyptian art and artifacts reflecting Horus’s pervasive influence in both religious and cultural life.

Horus was not a single deity, he was shown in multiple forms such as Horus the Elder, Horus the Younger, Horus of the Horizon and Horus of Behdet. Each version had its own traits and roles reflecting the different beliefs across different regions and periods of ancient Egypt.

His Challenger role with Set

The struggle between Horus and Set is one of the most famous stories in Egyptian mythology. It began when Set had murdered Horus’s father and that made Horus seek revenge and reclaim the throne. This conflict went beyond physical combat and included tests and clever tricks, they transformed into hippopotamuses to see who could hold their breath underwater or raced in boats made of stone and wood, each trying to kill the other.

The battles became violent and cunning. Set removed Horus’s eyes while he slept and Horus retaliated by maiming Set. They also used trickery such as Set disguising as a woman to seduce Horus and Horus fooling Set into eating lettuce mixed with his own semen. At the end, Horus triumphed avenging his father and reclaiming the throne.

However, his left eye was damaged and later healed by the goddess Hathor creating the Eye of Horus as a symbol of healing and protection.

This victory gave Horus a role associated with resurrection and the afterlife, sometimes guiding and protecting souls. The story also symbolizes the struggle between Upper and Lower Egypt and more abstract concepts like order vs chaos, light vs darkness and life vs death.

Horus’ role as the God of Kings

Horus held an important place in the minds of Egypt’s pharaohs. And because of the patron deity of the pharaos, they were considered his earthly representatives. Over time, kings were shown as the living embodiment of Horus strengthening the divine link between god and king.

Horus guided pharaohs in their battles against enemies and chaotic forces. They invoked him before war and credited victories to his divine support. His blessings legitimized their rule and reinforced their authority.

This connection between pharaohs and Horus was symbolized in the crowns pharaohs wore, the red crown of Lower Egypt combined with the white crown of Upper Egypt representing the unity of the two lands under Horus.

The importance of horus also affected the royal names. A pharaoh’s most important name was the Horus name which was shown in a rectangular frame called a serekh.

For Example, The serekh of King Hor Aha shows the Horus falcon holding a mace and shield. The word “Aha” means “fighter of Horus” highlighting the deep association between Horus and Egypt’s kings. Horus is often depicted above the king, sometimes as a winged sun disk symbolizing Horus of Behdet.

Horus’ role as the Sky God

Beyond kingship, Horus was also a sky god. His falcon form illustrated his ability to soar above the earth seeing all from a divine vantage.

The falcon was worshiped as a cosmic deity. Its body symbolized the heavens and its eyes the sun and moon. Falcon cults existed throughout Egypt, each localizing Horus under different names.

As a sky god, Horus was believed to hold full dominion over the sky which was seen as a source of protection and strength. His flight above the world represented power and authority.

Horus’ role as the Sun God

Horus’s control over the sky extended to the sun and moon. His right eye symbolized the sun, his left the moon. This duality was known as Horakhty “Horus of the Two Horizons” representing his presence across the eastern and western skies.

Horus controlled the sun and moon’s movements, the seasons and the Nile’s floods making him a deity of fundamental life forces.

Eventually, Horus merged with the sun god Ra forming Ra Horakhty. This god traveled across the sky during the day wearing the double crown of Egypt with a sun disk embodying the unity of the land and solar power.

Horus’ as the Protector and Healer

Horus was also a protector and healer extending his guardianship beyond pharaohs to all people. He defended justice, safeguarded the vulnerable and offered support in legal disputes, contracts or inheritance matters.

As a healer, he could cure illnesses, restore injuries and even heal eyesight echoing the story of his own eye restored by Hathor. People with eye ailments often sought Horus’s help trusting his divine healing.

The Eye of Horus became a symbol of healing and protection, believed to ward off evil spirits, curses and the evil eye reinforcing Horus’s role as both physical and spiritual guardian.

The Conflict between Horus and Set

There is a relief showing a man wearing a tall crown lying on a funerary bier with a bird hovering over his genitals. A falcon headed man stands at the foot of the bier and a woman with a tall chair like headdress stands at its head.
Isis, in the form of a bird, is shown copulating with the deceased Osiris. On either side, Horus appears, even though he is not yet born and Isis is also shown in human form.

Isis told her son Horus that he must protect the people of Egypt from the god Set, the god of the desert who had killed Horus’s father, Osiris. Horus fought many battles against Set, not only to avenge his father but also to determine the rightful ruler of Egypt. During these battles, Horus became associated with Lower Egypt and became its patron deity.

According to the story The Contendings of Horus and Set, Set tried to show his power over Horus by seducing him and attempting to have sexual intercourse. But Horus placed his hand between his legs and caught Set’s semen,

then threw it into the river so that it could not be said he was impregnated by Set. Later, Horus (or Isis in some versions) deliberately spread his semen on lettuce which was Set’s favorite food. After Set ate the lettuce, they went to the gods to settle the dispute over the rule of Egypt. The gods first listened to Set’s claim of dominance over Horus and called forth his semen but it responded from the river invalidating his claim. Then they listened to Horus’s claim of having dominated Set and his semen responded from inside Set.

However, Set still refused to give up and the gods were getting exhausted after more than eighty years of fighting and challenges. Horus and Set then challenged each other to a boat race, each making a boat out of stone.

They agreed to the race and began but Horus had an advantage, his boat was made of wood painted to look like stone, while Set’s boat was real stone and very heavy. Set’s boat sank but Horus stayed afloat and Horus won the race. Set then stepped down and officially gave Horus the throne of Egypt.

After defeating Set and becoming king, Horus offered gifts to his deceased father Osiris, reviving him in the afterlife and sustaining him. After the New Kingdom, Set was still considered the god of the desert and its oases.

Dividing the kingdom between Horus and Set

In many versions of the story, the gods divided the kingdom between Horus and Set. This division can be linked to the basic dualities that the Egyptians believed shaped their world. Horus could take the fertile lands along the Nile, the heart of Egyptian civilization while Set could take the barren desert or the foreign lands connected to it.

Horus might rule the land while Set rules the sky or each god might take one of the traditional halves of the country, Upper and Lower Egypt and either god could be connected to either region.

In Memphis Theology, the god Geb first divides the kingdom between the two claimants then changes his mind and gives full control to Horus. In this peaceful settlement, Horus and Set are reconciled, and the dualities they represent are united, restoring order after the long conflict.

Horus and Set uniting Upper and Lower Egypt

Egyptologists have often tried to connect the conflict between the two gods to political events in early Egyptian history or prehistory. Cases where the kingdom was divided between Horus and Set and the frequent association of the two gods with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, suggest that the gods represented a kind of division within the country.

Historical and archaeological evidence shows that Egypt was united at the beginning of its history when Upper Egypt in the south conquered Lower Egypt in the north. The rulers of Upper Egypt called themselves the “followers of Horus” and Horus became the protector of the unified state and its kings.

However, it is not easy to directly link Horus and Set to the two halves of Egypt. Both gods had cult centers in each region and Horus is often associated with Lower Egypt while Set is associated with Upper Egypt. Other events may have influenced the myth as well. Before Upper Egypt had a single ruler, two major cities existed,

Nekhen in the far south and Naqada further north. The rulers of Nekhen, where Horus was the patron deity, are believed to have unified Upper Egypt, including Naqada, under their control. Set was associated with Naqada so the divine conflict might reflect a very old rivalry between these cities.

At the end of the Second Dynasty (around 2890 – 2686 BCE), Pharaoh Seth Peribsen used the Set animal symbol in his royal name instead of the falcon representing Horus. His successor Khasekhemwy used both Horus and Set symbols. This suggests that the Second Dynasty saw a struggle between the followers of a Horus king and Set worshippers and Khasekhemwy’s use of both symbols affected the reconciliation between these factions just like the resolution of the myth.

In many versions of the myth, Horus and Set divide the kingdom. Horus governs the fertile Nile lands while Set rules the desert or foreign regions. In some accounts, the gods reconcile symbolizing the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt and the restoration of order. These myths also reflect historical political divisions as Upper and Lower Egypt were once separate kingdoms.

The Influence of Horus myth on Popular Culture

• Horus appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Moon Knight series (2022).
• He Featured in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as an underworld warrior.
• Playable god in Smite with the title “The Rightful Heir.”
• Appears in Rick Riordan’s The Kane Chronicles and in the film Gods of Egypt (portrayed by Nikolaj Coster Waldau).
• Depicted in the 1980 graphic novel La Foire aux immortels and the 2023 game Total War.

The Influence of Horus myth in cultural

Fascination with Horus arises not only from mythology but also from his depiction and worship. He is often shown with the head of a falcon on a human body symbolizing his status as a celestial god and divine protector. Temples across Egypt such as the grand structures in Edfu and Kom Ombo testify to his worship and the enduring influence of his cult.

Horus’ legacy represents endurance and evolution. His icons, the falcon or the Eye of Horus have persisted for thousands of years, symbolizing protection, royal power and good health.

Archaeologists have uncovered artifacts sealed with his image attesting to his lasting veneration. Beyond religious significance, Horus exemplifies the ideal union of deity and kingship that characterized ancient Egyptian civilization. Contemporary fascination with Horus reflects humanity’s quest to understand the divine and its influence on earthly rule, a timeless theme as enduring as the sky god himself.

The Temple of King Pepi I

The name of King “Waji” from the First Dynasty has appeared inside the serekh and topped with Horus’ falcon confirming the continuity of this symbol from the earliest periods of Egyptian history. Reliefs in the Temple of King Pepi I at Abydos show him offering sacrifices to Horus highlighting the ritual relationship between king and god.

The Eye of Horus

The Eye of Horus stands out as one of the most prominent symbols in ancient Egyptian culture. It was used as an amulet for protection and healing. The right eye represents the sun, the left the moon reflecting the concept of balance and completeness.

The Narmer Palette

The Narmer Palette which dates back to around 3100 BCE is one of the earliest archaeological records showing the connection between the king and Horus’ authority. On one side, King Narmer is depicted wearing the crown of Upper Egypt while Horus appears as a falcon standing on papyrus and grasping the head of a captive. This scene is interpreted as Horus granting the king control over the Delta symbolizing divine support for the unification of Egypt.

Columns with Plant Capitals

Following the pylon is an open courtyard surrounded by columns with plant capitals, known as the “Courtyard of Offerings” where offerings were made to Horus. Then comes the hypostyle hall with twelve massive columns supporting the roof, decorated with reliefs depicting the temple’s foundation and various religious ceremonies.

At the end of the main axis of the temple lies the sanctuary, which contains a black granite naos dating to the reign of King Nectanebo II, the oldest element of the temple. The entire temple was constructed from sandstone which helped preserve its inscriptions and decorations over the centuries.

The temple walls are adorned with reliefs depicting the famous myth of Horus and Set as well as religious and ritual scenes showing the relationship between king and god. Horus is also associated with several children, most notably the “Four Sons of Horus” and the god Ihy.

Temple of Horus at Edfu

The massive Temple of Horus at Edfu began construction during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes I in 145 BCE and took approximately 200 years to complete, finally finishing under Ptolemy XIII in the first century BCE.

Horus was considered a symbol of goodness and justice in ancient Egyptian mythology. His father was Osiris, the god of resurrection and judgment. According to legend, Horus’s uncle,

the evil Set, killed Osiris and scattered his body parts across Egypt. Horus’s mother collected Osiris’s body parts and reassembled them performing the first known mummification process. Afterward, Horus was born and sought to avenge his father earning the title “Protector of his Father.” In the battle against Set, Horus lost his left eye but eventually ascended the throne of Egypt.

Osiris became the god of the afterlife while Horus ruled the living world. Every pharaoh of Egypt was considered a representative of Horus, invoking him in their actions and battles. Accordingly, the king often included the name of Horus in one of his five royal titles.

Amulets in the form of the Eye of Horus or Wedjat were worn on the chest for protection and healing. The Eye of Horus was also used in mathematics to represent fractions: 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 and 1/64. Horus’s mother, Isis was revered as the goddess of the moon.

Ancient Egyptians believed that Horus had four sons: Hapy, Imsety, Duamutef “Protector of his Mother” and Qebehsenuef “He Who Gives Drink to His Brother”. In the Book of the Dead, Osiris is often depicted seated on a throne in the afterlife, flanked by his sisters Isis and Nephthys with the four sons of Horus standing on lotus flowers to judge humanity.

During mummification, the organs of the deceased were placed in four canopic jars corresponding to the four sons of Horus to ensure their protection. The heart of the deceased, essential for entry into the afterlife, was usually left in the body. The weighing of the heart against the feather of Ma’at symbolizing justice and morality,

determined the deceased’s fate, a balanced heart granted entry into paradise while a heart heavier than the feather led to being devoured by the mythical creature Ammit.

Horus’s sons were also believed to travel to the four corners of Egypt during the coronation of a new pharaoh to announce the king’s power.

Horus had many forms in ancient Egyptian mythology, reflecting different aspects of his nature:

• Heru ur (Horus the Elder / Horus the Great): Mature representation, especially worshiped at Letopolis, sometimes depicted as a falcon or a Hieracosphinx (falcon headed lion).
• Heru pa khered (Horus the Child / Harpocrates): Youthful form, often shown with a lock of hair and sucking his finger, represents the rising sun.
• Heru Behdeti (Horus of Behdet): Depicted as a winged sun associated with divinity, royalty and power, especially at Edfu.
• Har em akhet (Horus in the Horizon): Associated with the dawn, depicted as a sphinx or hieracosphinx, inspired the Great Sphinx of Giza.
• Harpara (Horus the Sun): Son of Montu and Raet Tawy, part of the divine triad at North Karnak and Armant.
• Other forms include Hor Merti (Horus of the Two Eyes), Hor imy shenut (with a crocodile body), Her iunmutef (priest with leopard skin) and Her sema tawy (Uniter of Upper and Lower Egypt).

The Festival of Victory (Heb Nekhtet) was an annual Egyptian festival held at Edfu to commemorate Horus’s triumph over Set. The Pharaoh often acted as Horus in a sacred drama defeating Set (represented by a hippopotamus) which legitimized his rule.

Some Roman and Christian sources also mention a winter solstice festival dedicated to Horus though these are not confirmed in Egyptian sources.

The Eye of Horus, also known as the wedjat or udjat eye, is one of the most iconic symbols of ancient Egyptian culture representing health, protection and restoration. According to myth, Horus, the sky god and son of Osiris, lost one of his eyes during a fierce battle with his rival, Set who sought to claim the throne of Egypt following Osiris’s death.

Different gods, most notably Thoth and sometimes Hathor, restored Horus’s eye, a process that symbolized renewal, balance and cosmic order. After its restoration, Horus offered the eye to his deceased father, Osiris, empowering him to live in the afterlife and establishing a foundational model for Egyptian funerary rituals and temple offerings. 

The Eye of Horus as a Protective Religious Symbol

Over time, the Eye of Horus became a central element in Egyptian religion, ritual and iconography, used to protect the living, the dead and sacred spaces. Ancient texts and myths link the right eye to the sun and the left eye to the moon while some scholars suggest it originally represented the planet Venus highlighting the flexibility and depth of Egyptian symbolic thought. The symbol’s shape, an eye with distinctive markings resembling a falcon’s face or even cheetah patterns,

emphasizes Horus’s association with the sky and divine vision. Artists and priests incorporated the Eye of Horus into temples, tombs and amulets making it ubiquitous in both ritual practice and daily life.

Amulets shaped like the wedjat eye first appeared in the Old Kingdom, commonly placed on the chest of mummies while later designs during the New Kingdom and Greco Roman period became more elaborate including additional elements like cobras, cat motifs or small figures of gods within the eye reflecting its link to the Eye of Ra and broader protective powers. 

Wedjat Eye in Ritual and Cosmic Balance

Beyond jewelry, the wedjat appeared on stelae, coffins, boats and tattoos, often painted or carved to ensure protection and divine sight, sometimes even with wings hovering over kings or gods. The symbol’s association with maat, the Egyptian concept of order, balance and justice extended its role from funerary protection to a broader representation of moral and cosmic harmony, as seen in festival practices tied to the lunar cycle, agricultural offerings and ritual spells. 

Eye of Horus in Healing and Mathematics

Egyptian medicine and magical texts frequently invoked the Eye of Horus equating the patient to Horus and using the eye as a metaphor for measurement, healing, and safeguarding against disease, especially ailments of the eye. Legendary stories like those in the Pyramid Texts and later Ptolemaic sources, describe Horus’s eye being lost, dismembered, buried or even transforming into lotus flowers or grapevines showing its symbolic power to regenerate life and sustain offerings. 

The eye also inspired mathematical symbolism in ancient Egypt as its parts were used to represent fractions in practical calculations. Its visual motif spread beyond Egypt into neighboring cultures such as Nubia,

Canaan and Syria and even influenced maritime traditions in the Mediterranean where eyes painted on ships were believed to provide guidance and protection. Over millennia, the Eye of Horus remained central to Egyptian art and ritual bridging the gap between myth, religion, healing and the everyday lives of the people, reflecting the enduring reverence for Horus as both a god and a symbol of divine protection, restoration and eternal vigilance.

What were the Mythological Origins of Horus?

According to one version of the myth, Horus was conceived after Isis gathered the scattered body parts of her slain husband Osiris. All parts were recovered except his penis which had been thrown into the Nile and consumed according to different traditions by a catfish known as Medjed or by a crab. Earlier Egyptian sources state that the organ survived.

In Plutarch’s account, Isis used her magical abilities to revive Osiris temporarily and create a phallus allowing her to conceive Horus. After becoming pregnant, Isis sought refuge in the marshes of the Nile Delta to protect her unborn child from her brother Seth who had murdered Osiris and posed a threat to Horus. It was there that she gave birth to the divine child.

What was the importance of Origins and Mythology of Horus?

Horus was a complex god with many different roles and meanings. He was a god of the sky, the sun and the king but he was also a protector and a healer. Over time, Horus became linked with other gods and symbols such as the Eye of Ra and the falcon. This made him a very important and powerful god in ancient Egyptian mythology.

What was the Etymology of Horus?

In Egyptian hieroglyphs, Horus’s name appears as ḥr.w meaning “Falcon” (𓅃). Linguistic reconstructions suggest that the name was pronounced ˈħaːɾuw in Old and early Middle Egyptian evolving into ˈħaːɾəʔ in later Middle Egyptian and ˈħoːɾ(ə) in Late Egyptian. Beyond its literal meaning, the name is thought to convey additional ideas such as “the distant one” or “the one who is above.” As the Egyptian language developed, the name of Horus appeared in Coptic forms such as hɔr or ħoːɾ (Ϩⲱⲣ) and it entered Ancient Greek as Ὧρος (Hō̂ros). The name also survives in Late Egyptian and Coptic theophoric names, including Siese, meaning “son of Isis” and Harsiese, translated as “Horus, son of Isis.”

What were the roles of the God Horus in Ancient Egyptian Mythology?

Horus is one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian mythology. He is often shown as a falcon or a man with a falcon head holding immense significance in Egyptian beliefs. As the national god of ancient Egypt, his roles were different and complex

One of the most prominent symbols associated with Horus is the Eye of Horus or the left wedjat eye. This symbol was not just decorative, It is considered the protection, healing and royal authority. It appeared widely in Egyptian art and artifacts reflecting Horus’s pervasive influence in both religious and cultural life.

Horus was not a single deity, he was shown in multiple forms such as Horus the Elder, Horus the Younger, Horus of the Horizon and Horus of Behdet. Each version had its own traits and roles reflecting the different beliefs across different regions and periods of ancient Egypt.

What was Horus’ role as the God of Kings?

Horus held an important place in the minds of Egypt’s pharaohs. And because of the patron deity of the pharaos, they were considered his earthly representatives. Over time, kings were shown as the living embodiment of Horus strengthening the divine link between god and king.

Horus guided pharaohs in their battles against enemies and chaotic forces. They invoked him before war and credited victories to his divine support. His blessings legitimized their rule and reinforced their authority.

What was the Influence of Horus myth on Popular Culture?

• Horus appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Moon Knight series (2022).
• He Featured in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as an underworld warrior.
• Playable god in Smite with the title “The Rightful Heir.”
• Appears in Rick Riordan’s The Kane Chronicles and in the film Gods of Egypt (portrayed by Nikolaj Coster Waldau).
• Depicted in the 1980 graphic novel La Foire aux immortels and the 2023 game Total War.

How were the Celebrations of Horus?

The Festival of Victory (Heb Nekhtet) was an annual Egyptian festival held at Edfu to commemorate Horus’s triumph over Set. The Pharaoh often acted as Horus in a sacred drama defeating Set (represented by a hippopotamus) which legitimized his rule.

Some Roman and Christian sources also mention a winter solstice festival dedicated to Horus though these are not confirmed in Egyptian sources.